The Greater Western Sydney Giants are looking to regroup and move forward after a tumultuous end to their 2024 AFL season, marked by a devastating finals exit and a controversial post-season event that led to player suspensions. Speaking publicly for the first time since the incidents, star midfielder Tom Green described it as a “line-in-the-sand moment” for the club.
Promising Finals Run Ends in Heartbreak
The Giants entered the 2024 AFL finals with high hopes, but saw their premiership dreams dashed in crushing fashion. In the qualifying final against the Sydney Swans, GWS surrendered a 28-point lead to lose by just six points. The following week, in a home semi-final, they somehow fumbled a commanding 44-point advantage to fall to the Brisbane Lions by five points.
Green, clearly still processing the raw emotions of those losses, didn’t mince words when reflecting on the Giants’ September capitulation. “The season ended really poorly from our point of view,” he admitted. “There’s a whole lot of work for us to do, for us to be able to go to that next step and go where we think we’re good enough to go.”
Post-Season Event Fallout
As if the on-field disappointment wasn’t enough, the Giants found themselves embroiled in controversy due to a post-season players’ function that featured inappropriate skits and costumes. An AFL investigation resulted in suspensions for several GWS players, including Josh Fahey (four matches) and Jake Riccardi (two matches) for their involvement in the troubling incidents.
Green, who was among the senior players fined for their presence at the event, pulled no punches in his assessment. “Not good enough,” he stated bluntly. “There’s guys who, going into the next season, are going to miss games. It was a real error of judgment on all of our behalf and it’s been a real learning curve.”
A Leader’s Responsibility
As one of the Giants’ leaders, Green acknowledged his role in setting the right example, both on and off the field. “Just as a leader … inclusive of on the field but also off the field, I’m meant to be setting the example in being a role model,” he said. “In that moment, I failed to do so.”
It’s been an off-season of reflection and we’ve got to get a lot better.
– Tom Green, GWS Giants midfielder
Green was quick to dismiss any link between the post-season incident and the Giants’ on-field shortcomings, emphasizing that both issues needed to be addressed separately. “If anything, it’s probably more important that we get that right because that stuff just isn’t acceptable,” he stressed.
The Road Ahead
Looking forward, Green and the Giants are determined to learn from their missteps and take the necessary steps to become genuine premiership contenders. “Over the last couple years, we’ve just fallen short and it shows that we’re not good enough,” he conceded.
The Giants will have an early opportunity to test their mettle in 2025, facing off against the Collingwood Magpies and former teammate Henry Perryman in Round 1 at Engie Stadium. For Green and his teammates, it represents the first step in a long journey of redemption.
As the Giants embark on a pivotal off-season, Green’s message is clear: the time for excuses is over. To reach the lofty heights they aspire to, both the club’s on-field performance and off-field culture must undergo significant improvement. Only then can they hope to put the disappointment of 2024 behind them and emerge as a stronger, more unified force in the seasons to come.
